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UNCLAS BOGOTA 002425 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL PREF PHUM FR CO SP
SUBJECT: COLOMBIA TOUTS HEROIC RESCUE SUCCESS OF HOSTAGES 
 
REF: BOGOTA 2406 
 
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Summary: 
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¶1.  President Uribe touted the successful July 2 military 
rescue mission of the three Americans, Ingrid Betancourt, and 
eleven members of the Colombia security forces. He called on 
the FARC to release the remaining hostages and seek peace. 
The operation - planned for months - incurred no casualties 
and also resulted in the capture of First Front commander 
Gerardo Antonio Aguilar (Cesar) and Alexander Farfan (Enrique 
Gafas).  Freed presidential candidate Ingrid Betnacourt 
called it a "perfect operation."  Local politicians and 
analysts predict the operation will be a "mortal blow" 
against the FARC and boost Uribe's popularity ratings even 
higher.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.   At a late evening press conference on July 2 with the 
freed hostages and military officials, President Uribe 
praised Colombian security forces involved in the rescue as 
"heroes of humanity." He said the operation - planned for 
months - showed the military's respect for human rights.  He 
called on the FARC to release the 25 political hostages and 
700 other hostages that it continues to hold and urged the 
group to seek peace. Army Commander General Mario Montoya 
said the operation was risky and could have "made fools of 
ourselves" but ultimately worked like clockwork.  He said 
Colombian military intelligence's "infiltration" of the 
FARC's communications was instrumental to the operation's 
success. 
 
¶3.   Colombian press reported that at 1:13 pm on July 2, 
Colombian military (Colmil) helicopters landed near a FARC 
camp 70 kilometers south of San Jose del Guaviare.  Six 
soldiers and two pilots, disguised as international aid 
workers, told First Front commander Cesar and Enrique Gafas 
that they would be escorted to another location to meet FARC 
senior commander Alfonso Cano.  The fifteen 
hostages--accompanied by the two FARC commanders--boarded the 
helicopter.  Once the helicopter was airborne, Colombian 
military intelligence personnel overpowered the two FARC and 
identified themselves to the hostages.  Ingrid Betancourt 
said the helicopter "almost fell from the sky as the hostages 
jumped with joy. "Operation Jacque" (meaning checkmate in 
Spanish) lasted 22 minutes until Cesar and Gafas were seized 
- without a single casualty. At 5:08 pm, the hostages arrived 
at Catam military base in Bogota. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
Ingrid Betancourt Calls It a "Perfect" Operation 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶4.   At her first press conference following the rescue, 
Ingrid Betancourt called the operation "perfect" and thanked 
President Uribe, the Colombian military, and French president 
Nicolas Sarkozy. She acknowledged the efforts of Ecuadorian 
President Rafael Correa and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez 
to achieve her freedom, but she insisted that they "must 
respect Colombian democracy."  Betancourt said Uribe's 
reelection in 2006 was key to maintaining the military 
pressure on the FARC which led to her liberation, noting the 
FARC had exploited previous changes of government to rebuild 
its military capacity.  She repeatedly praised the Colombian 
military, identifying herself as a soldier, and said "this 
army will take us to peace."  Betancourt also called on FARC 
leaders Alfonso Cano and Mono Jojoy not to punish her guards, 
adding that they were deceived in the operation. 
 
-------------------- 
International Praise 
-------------------- 
 
¶5.   French President Sarkozy lauded the rescue alongside 
Betancourt's children in Paris, thanked President Uribe, and 
reiterated the GOF's offer to provide asylum to FARC members 
who "renounced the armed struggle." President Chavez said 
"the time for rifles is gone" and voiced his willingness to 
work to obtain the release of more hostages and to achieve 
peace in Colombia.  OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza 
said, "this is the most important Colombian government 
success in the struggle to pacify its country, not only 
because of the freeing of the hostages but because Colombia 
is closer to a real peace."  Interpol's Secretary General 
called the operation a key turning point in the fight against 
terrorism in the region.  Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos 
echoed that the FARC is in a "weakened state without leaders 
and without the possibility of a military way out." 
 
------------------- 
Domestic Jubilation 
------------------- 
 
¶6.  The Colombian public was ecstatic over the operation's 
success. Local security analyst Alfredo Rangel described the 
operation as a "mortal blow for the FARC" and predicted that 
it would further Uribe's already high approval ratings to 
sky-high levels.  Catholic Bishops Conference President 
Augusto Castro called the operation a triumph for President 
Uribe and Colombia's military, while opposition Liberal Party 
presidential candidate Rafael Pardo noted that the operation 
freed Uribe from international pressure to negotiate a 
humanitarian exchange accord with the FARC.  The opposition 
Polo Democratico Party issued a communique welcoming the 
"liberation of the hostages, and urging the "insurgent groups 
to reflect on the sterility of the armed struggle." 
BROWNFIELD